Sole-cutting machine



UNIT s T f. il? FFICE.

A. P. HOWARD AND A. ROVE, JR., OF STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

SOLE-CUTTING MACHNE.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that we, ALBION P. HOWARD and ALLEN Rowe, Jr., of Stoneham, inthe county of Middlesex and State of llflassachusetts, have invented an Improved Sole-Cutting Machine; and we do hereby declare that Y the same is fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, of which-4 Figure 1, is a top view; Fig. 2, a vertical, central and longitudinal section, and Fig. 3, a front end elevation of it.

Vith our machine, we employ a single die or cut-ter bent around into the shape of the external edge of a solo and in the process of operating with such die, it has not only vertical but intermittent rotary movements, it being first turned around one hundred and eighty degrees of a circle at each rotary movement, the object of which being to enable the cutter to cut soles or blanks thereof to the best advantage from a strip of leather.

ln the drawings, A, denotes the frame ofl the machine, it being furnished at one end with a table or shelf, B, on which the leather to be cut is placed and borne against an adjustable guide ledge, a, arranged on the top surface of the table. At the inner end of the table is a cutting block, Z9, over which is the cutter, C, whose emporte piece or carrier, D, is fastened to the lower end of a vertical shaft, E.

Fig. l, is a view of the under side of the said cutter, within which is a piston discharger, c, borne down by springs, cl, cl. The lower surface of the .discharger is dished or made concave to the form both laterally and longitudinally which the sole is to have when on a. shoe.

Within the block, b, and applied thereto so as to be capable of being moved vertically is a former or bender, e, which operates in conjunction with the discharger, c, to bend the leather and hold it firmly preparatory to, and during the descent of the knife or cutter. The said former, c, is elevated by the action of a lever, f, against it, such lever being connected with the main lever, F, by a connecting rod g, suspended from a stirrup, G, and having screw nuts L., c', applied to it and the said stirrup so as to enable the Inovements of the former, e, to be adjusted to the thickness of the leather and otherwise as circumstances may require.

The vertical shaft, E, is suspended from the lesser arm of the lever, E by means of block.

a connecting link H. This lever turns on a fulcrum, I, and is operated by a bell crank, K, acting through a connection rod L, the whole being arranged as shown in the drawings. The part K, of the rod, L, turns in one of the joint parts Z, m, and screws into the other, the saine being to enable the cutter to be adjusted with respect to the cutting The crank K, is carried by a shaft M, on one end of which is a gear N, that engages with a pinion O, fixed on al driving shaft P, provided with a driving pulley R, and a fly wheel S. During each entire revolution of the crank K, the shaft E, carrying the cutter will be depressed and elevated. lVhile the said shaft is at or near its greatest altitude it has a semirotation imparted to it by mechanism which may be thus described.

The shaft E, slides longitudinally through a pulley T, having a gear U, affixed to its lower side, the pulley and gear being sup ported so as to be capable of being revolved independently of the shaft. A cord or belt V, is attached to the periphery of the pulley and from thence is carried horizontally to and partially about a pulley 7, and has a weight X, suspended from it.

The gear U, engages with a sliding rack Y, connected with a slide bar Z, arranged as shown in the drawings, the connection being by means of adjusting nuts n, 0, and a screw p, applied to the rod and a projection g, from the slide bar Z. The rear part of the slider Z, has another projection S, which during the rotation of the bell crank K, is struck by a cam t, (which projects from the connection rod LQ and in a manner to force it the slide bar Z, and the rack Y, backward. There is a clutch a, fixed on the vertical shaft E, and provided with two holes '0, fv, to receive corresponding spurs fw, fw, extending from the gear U, a top view of such clutch being shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 6, exhibits an under side view of the gear U, and shows t-he spurs w, w, thereof. The said clutch is also provided with two guide notches w, an, arranged at one hundred and eighty degrees apart from center to center. They are to operate in connection with a station-ary Vtapering standard or tooth y, shown in Fig. 3, and more particularly in Fig. 7, which is a side view of it the clutch the shaft E, and the gear over the clutch. During the elevation or upward motion of the shaft E, it becomes clutched lto the gear tion will cause the shaft E, to move down-r ward. As soon as the said shaft becomes unclutched from the gear the weight X, will descend and rotate the pulley T, and gear U, so as to move the rack forward until a stop Z, on the rack may bring up against the frame A@ The tooth y, by its action in a notch of the clutch determines the correct position of the cutter C, and the discharger c, with respect to the former e, during each descent of the said cutter.

By our mechanism the sole is bent preparatory to its being cut, the knife or cutter not performing any function in the matter of so bending the sole. In the machine shown in the United States Patent No. 11,147, the cutter supports the leather while it is being bent by the former or bender and consequently there is more or less liability of a curved instead of a straight cut being made in the leather than where the leather is bent by devices separate from the knife or when the knife does not act to support the leather while it is being bent. By our machine the leather is also held firmly while being cut, and this causes the cut to be made straight.

We are aware that two knives applied to a horizontal shaft so as to project from opposite sides of it and that to such shaft vertical reciprocating motions as well as intermittent rotary motions have been given so as tocarry each knife in succession against a bed or piece of leather thereon we do not claim such as it differs materially from our invention, but what we do claim is arranging the sole cutter on the lower end` of andV at right angles to a vertical shaft, and combining with such mechanism not only for elevating and depressing such shaft in line of its axis, but mechanism for producing successive semi rotations of such shaft and cutter the same operating so as to carry the sole cutter toward and away from the bed and to give to such cutter an intermittent rotary motion in manner and for the purpose as specified. And in combination with the mechanism for elevating and depressing the cutter, and that for rotating it under an arrangement of the said cutter with respect to its shaft as specified we claim the guide tooth y, and the clutch recesses arranged to operate in manner and for the purpose as set forth.

Te do not claim the combination of a sole bender with a sole cutter unprovided with a sole discharger as such is found in the United States Patent No. 11,147, but

What we do claim is- The combination and arrangement of the concave sole discharger and the convex sole former or bender with the cutter and so as to operate together in manner and for the purpose as herein before specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our signatures this 13th day of November A. D. 1858.

ALBION P. HOVARD. ALLEN ROVE, JR. Witnesses R. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr. 

